


Paper and Pen, Needles and Yarn

by coolbreezemage



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Crafts, F/M, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 01:02:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21262529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolbreezemage/pseuds/coolbreezemage
Summary: “I could accompany you, if you wish it."She’s about to refuse, but… with Dimitri at her side, she’s sure nobody would dare come near. “Oh! Um, okay, that sounds good!"“Actually, I was hoping you could assist me," he begins, oddly timid for a man of his status. "The Professor has tasked me with purchasing a new set of pens to replace the ones I, er... broke.” That, positively sheepish.Bernadetta and Dimitri go shopping together. Written for the All Pairings Collab Challenge.





	Paper and Pen, Needles and Yarn

Candles. Paper. Yarn. 

A package of candles. A sheaf of writing paper. Two balls of yarn. Far from a difficult shopping list, Bernadetta tells herself, clutching the crumpled scrap of paper so tightly her hand begins to ache. 

_ Candles. Paper. Yarn. _

It should be easy. But the chandler is off to the east down a series of crowded narrow streets, and the stationary shop all the way in the other direction, and the spinner's far flung from either, requiring her to walk right through the heart of the weekend market. 

And the marketplace is so _ loud _ and so _ crowded _ that she can barely think. The storm of people rushing past takes no notice of her. Usually she’d be grateful for that, but here it means she’s constantly being nearly barreled over by people who didn’t know she was there because they looked right over her head. 

She should be avoiding distractions so she can get the shopping done and get back to her room as soon as possible, but there's so much here to look at that she can't help it. She soon finds herself hovering over a table deciding between four flavors of jam. The elderflower is her mother's favorite, but Ferdinand's tea parties have given her a taste for blackberry, and then the peach looks especially good, but the apple and currant is cheaper... The shopkeeper eyes her uncertainty with what might be amusement. Or maybe it's suspicion, and he thinks she's going to try and steal something? She bites her lip at the thought. 

“Miss!” the jam-seller barks, just as she senses a hand snaking into her space. She shrieks, and whirls; a moment later the would-be pickpocket is laid out on his back before her, staring up at her with dazed, furious eyes.

The pickpocket scrambles to his feet. “You think you can attack me, you little-”

“I think not,” a familiar voice declares. Bernadetta turns to see Prince Dimitri stride forward and lifts the man into the air with one hand at his collar. He holds him there for a moment as he struggles and then shoves him towards the bewildered knight who’d hurried over at the commotion.

The crowd returns to normal within moments, as if northern princes apprehending thieves was a daily occurrence here at Garreg Mach. 

“What a fool. He should have run. You are unhurt?” Dimitri asks her. Bernadetta nods frantically. “I see why Felix was so impressed with you,” he continues. “You are very skilled.” 

He’s _ looking at her_, and all at once it's far too much pressure. She clutches her hedgehog purse to her chest and trembles.

Dimitri takes a step back. “I’ve frightened you. I apologize.” He bows, and it’s so elegant, like the knights in the books Ashe loans her. She should be afraid of him. While she fights from a distance, a silent sniper, he charges fearless into battle to stab and slice his enemies into pieces. She’s never witnessed it, they’re in different classes and take different missions, but she’s seen him utterly destroy the dummies on the training grounds. Which is... actually kind of impressive. More than kind of.

She would very much enjoy writing a character like him. Formality hiding a deep kindness, a tortured past. Untidy hair and sharp, worried eyes that have never learned how to lie. 

Dimitri is still looking at her, a concerned frown on his face. “Bernadetta? Are you all right?”

“Oh!” She realizes she’s staring. "Y-your Highness, uh, thank you!"

Belatedly, she curtseys, nearly knocking a basket of fruit from the table in the process. Clumsy Bernie. The merchant glares at her. 

"There's no need for that," Dimitri tells her. “I am only shopping, same as you.”

That’s right, she has a shopping list to finish. It’s still wedged in her palm, almost unreadable. But she knows what she needs. _Candles. Paper. Yarn._ So little, but it seems so much now.

“I… uh, I think I’ll go back. It’s too dangerous!”

Dimitri frowns. “I could accompany you, if you wish it.”

She’s about to refuse, but… with Dimitri at her side, she’s sure nobody would dare come near. “Oh! Um, okay, that sounds good!”

“Actually, I was hoping you could assist me," he begins, oddly timid for a man of his status. "The Professor has tasked me with purchasing a new set of pens to replace the ones I, er... broke.” That, positively sheepish. Bernadetta giggles, wishing Dorothea could see this. 

"It's unbecoming of me to be so careless,” Dimitri says, shaking his head. “But the point is, I don’t know where to find the stationer’s shop. If it is out of your way you need not detour... ”

“I can take you there,” Bernadetta promises. That, at least, she can do easily. “I need to go there to buy paper.”

The two of them stand there, unmoving, for several awkward moments while the market traffic flows around them. 

“Uh, this way!” Bernadetta squeaks, and heads off down the street at a fast pace, hoping Dimitri doesn't already think her a fool for the pause. 

Dimitri follows at a comfortable distance, offering no commentary on her haste. Despite the urgency of the errand, despite the fear of disappointing him, she feels… safer, with him there. Usually on busy days like these, Bernadetta stares at her feet the whole way through the market, hoping to avoid others’ judgemental eyes. But today her steps slow, and she looks up. Guiding someone unfamiliar through the narrow streets forces her to look around her and see the shops and stalls as if they’re new.

“You really haven't been this way before?” she risks asking. 

“Once or twice, but not enough to remember it well,” Dimitri says, unbothered by the question. That sheepish look crosses his face again. “Every time the Professor assigns me market duty, Ashe or Annette always manage to finish it before I have the chance.” He shakes his head. “I've told them to stop, of course, it isn't fair that I should avoid chores simply because I'm House Leader.” _ And their prince, _Bernadetta adds silently. “But they insist they enjoy shopping.”

Enjoying shopping! How could anybody- well, maybe if the crowds were smaller, the merchants less pushy… Because despite all that, she likes searching through the tables and shelves for lovely or useful things. She likes buying herself new things, making something new out of old things. Even ensuring she won’t run out of necessities is pleasant in a way, each crossed-off item on a list soothing her worries. And she's good at budgeting. Her father's tutoring paid off in that respect, at least. 

They continue on in relative quiet until they come to the stationer’s shop. The owner barely glances up as they walk in, but Bernadetta’s fine with that.

She leads Dimitri to a tray of quills. “These are what we use in class! But if you want something sturdier, you should try these…” She points to another tray, this one laid out with wood-and-metal pens with darker, thicker nibs. “They’re a bit more expensive, but they last longer.”

“What about these?” Dimitri asks, attention drawn by a wooden box holding three elegant lacquered owl feathers. 

“Oh, well, those are more for calligraphy and art. They’re not the best for taking notes in class or writing papers. And they're more fragile!” 

“Ah, I see. Probably not the best for me, then.” He steps back, almost disappointed. “You know a lot about pens.”

It’s a compliment. Bernadetta blushes. “I- I write a lot,” she says, truthfully. 

“It’s a good talent to have.” Dimitri looks between the first two trays. “I’ll take a dozen of the sturdier sort, then.”

The shopkeeper, summoned from his drowsy seat, comes over and wraps Dimitri’s pens into a neat parcel. 

They’re almost back on the street when Dimitri turns to her and says, “Wait, you said needed to buy paper?”

“Oh! You’re right. Silly Bernie…” She darts back into the shop and grabs a package of writing paper and takes it to the counter.

“Hmm. Nice boy,” the shopkeeper says, without looking up. “You’ve done well.”

“Uh…” Bernadetta laughs awkwardly, unsure what to do, but the moment is over and she’s out the door before the moment can grow any stranger. She hurries over to where Dimitri’s waiting. “Sorry! I guess I’m just forgetful.”

“It’s no trouble. My apologies for distracting you.” 

“You’re not distracting me!” she says, and then bites her lip for saying something so silly. “I’m going to buy candles and yarn next. You don’t have to come, but it’s okay if you want to!” She doesn’t know why she’s offering, usually she’d take the first opportunity to be left alone.

“I’ll come with you, if you’re certain it’s all right. I’d like to see more of the market.”

Fortunately, their next errand is free of such mistakes, and Bernadetta puts a tidily-wrapped package into her basket next to the paper. Dimtri watches carefully the entire time. Bernadetta thinks that she should find it judgemental, frightening, but it seems she’s found herself a respite from those fears. She just hopes she can finish her shopping before the feelings come barreling back. 

The old woman who dips the rows of candles barely says more than two words the whole time, and both of those in grunts, in stark contrast to the two sisters who run the yarn shop, who greet Bernadetta with smiles and a breathless summary of their latest adventure into two-color dyeing. Bernadetta leaves Dimitri staring enchanted into the whirl of Seraphina’s spindle and retreats into the comfy, sheltered recesses at the back of the shop. 

She loves it back here. Warm, slightly dusty, with walls all around so she knows nobody’s watching her or expecting anything of her. The honeycomb-like shelves are stacked with balls upon balls of yarn in every color imaginable, a soft rainbow waiting to be turned into beautiful things.

Bernadetta could easily spend all day here, but Dimitri is no doubt waiting for her, so she makes her decision quickly and apologizes to the yarn for her haste. She chooses two shades of blue yarn and a hank of embroidery thread in a golden yellow, pays for them, and nestles them safely in her basket. 

She pauses at the front counter. “Uh…” she says, unhelpfully, because Dimitri is still watching the up and down of the spindle as if it’s some battle technique he’s attempting to memorize. 

Dimitri spins around. “Oh! Bernadetta. I apologize, I was lost in thought. Are you finished?” 

They head back to the monastery together in comfortable silence. He doesn’t expect her to speak, and she is glad to not have to. He leaves her at her door with yet another precise bow and polite, gentle smile.

“Thanks!” she manages. “For coming with me. I liked it.”

“It was no trouble. I must thank you as well for your assistance.”

She smiles, and ducks into her room before her blush can give her thoughts away.

Over the next few days, a little lion takes shape under her knitting needles. Round paws, weighted with dried beans so that it can stand up without support. A tail curled around its haunches, ending in a spray of gold thread. A frilled mane, edged in gold. And a round, happy face with a last bean sewn on to form a nose. When she’s finally satisfied with the work, Bernadetta stuffs it with scraps of fluff from the laundry and sews up the last gap. 

Now all that’s left is to deliver it. Which is, like most things in Bernadetta’s life, easier said than done. She tucks the lion into her bag and waits patiently for her chance. It takes a few days, but finally she catches Dimitri as they’re all heading out of the classrooms. She gathers her courage and hurries up to him. It’s so much harder here than in the market, for all the market was noisier and busier. 

“Berna-” he begins, but she doesn’t give him a chance to finish.

“Here! I made this! For you!” She shoves it into his hands and flees back to her quiet room.

She's finishing up the second chapter of her latest story when she hears someone at her door. She freezes, pen hovering over the inkwell. Who is it? Is it Ferdinand with yet another invitation to a terrifying social event? Is it her professor, here to send her home for some mistake she hadn't even realized she made?

She swallows, waiting for the knock, but it never comes. Instead, a note is pushed under her door, and the footsteps fade away. 

She pulls herself from the recesses of her chair and approaches the door, cautious. What did this be? What does it mean? Is it a threat? Worse, is it a threat delivered to the wrong door, and now she'll have to find the recipient and become involved in whatever vendetta provoked this? Worse than that, is it a _ love letter _?

She unfolds the fine paper to find none of these things, only a short note of thanks in a hand not quite befitting a prince. 

> _ Bernadetta - _
> 
> _ I do not know what I have done to deserve such a gift, but I thank you all the same. He is a handsome creature, and very finely made. _
> 
> _ Please do not hesitate to ask if I can be of assistance in future. _
> 
> _ \- Dimitri _

Signed with only his name, no titles, no signet. How her father would rage at the impropriety! But he is not here, and if she keeps the note carefully hidden, he will never know.

The days carry on as normal after that, though Bernadetta notes several times that Dimitri manages to be on the training grounds at the same time as she’s practicing with the other archers. One of these times, Claude leans over and whispers something about her having an admirer, and as she stutters for a response, turns and winks at Dimitri. She swears she sees him blush all the way across the hall. 

He doesn’t push, doesn’t insist on speaking to her again, so she decides it’s not something she has to worry about. Even if the idea is appealing, it’s surely not something she has the skill to pursue. 

She’s almost forgotten about the gift and the letter until several months later, when she walks into the Blue Lions classroom to ask Professor Byleth if she can transfer, and the little stuffed lion is sitting proudly on the front desk as if to welcome her in. 

**Author's Note:**

> This was fun to write! I'm hoping to do more rarepairs. It's a nice exercise to imagine how two characters who don't even have Support conversations would interact. Especially when one of them is Bernie, who doesn't like interacting in the first place. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
